On The Island
by Number Ten
Summary: When Phillip Carlyle reunites with his cousin, Emma Carson, the survivors of the Titanic are introduced to a new family. When Anne learns that her fiance has a brother, she insists on trying to reconnect with his parents. Things change when the circus crew and co, go on a ship for a tour. The group then faces disaster at sea, the lines still drawn in society and survival.
1. Chapter 1: The Greatest Show

Chapter 1: The Greatest Show

 _A/N: Hey readers. This is yet another interesting crossover between The Greatest Showman and Titanic. It's going to be one serious roller coaster. Just so you know, I have changed a few things and am featuring my characters from my "A New Beginning" story._

 _Just some background information. Emma Carson and her fiance Peter Whitman, with Emma's little sister, Sybil, end up sailing on the Titanic after laying Emma's deceased parents to rest in Ireland. The couple met Jack and Rose and helped the two realize their feelings for each other. Emma nearly died on the Titanic like Jack, but all managed to survive. Jack and Rose are expecting a child, all two of the young couples are now happily married, Rose repaired her relationship with her mother. Also note that Peter's sister, Holly Gregson, her husband, Carl, and their young son, Thomas are a part of this story as well._

 _So Barnum is still working with the circus, having managed to balance family life and being the circus director, instead of quitting. Phillip Carlyle and Emma Carson-Whitman are cousins who used to be close until circumstances in their lives sent them in their separate ways. Phillip is now engaged to Anne Wheeler._

 _All rights go to James Cameron for his movie characters, all the rights go to 20th Century Fox and all the other production companies for The Greatest Showman._

"Whoa, Emma slow down!" Jack calls out to her as he and Rose struggle to keep up. With Rose heavily pregnant, the poor redhead could not go very fast any longer.

The once star-crossed lovers were the happiest they could be; safe from their pasts, a roof over their heads, happily married, a loving surrogate family and a child on the way. Rose had long since mended her relationship with her mother, Caledon Hockley had gone off and married someone else, and both had a safe and warm place to call home. So much had changed since they'd met that fateful night on the ill-fated _Titanic_. While their story had a happy ending, they knew not very many people were that lucky on the voyage.

"Well, hurry up then, we have to get good seats," Emma insists. She held her husband, Peter's hand, while he carried Emma's little sister, Sybil, on his shoulders. The young Miss Carson-Whitman was extremely excited to be attending the circus, which was run and owned by her cousin, Phillip Carlyle. A cousin she had not seen in a long time but had grown up with him. Phillip would often be "dumped" at the Carson family home up in Canada for the summer, so his parents could go travelling without a child tagging along. Emma saw him as her "big brother," he taught her how to catch frogs, to spit really far and hang upside down from tree branches. She and her father often took him out on the family boat and Emma was the one to teach Phillip to swim in the lake. She fondly remembers that he wanted to be a writer and the two would sit on the front porch with stacks of paper in their laps, watching the sun sink behind the horizon of the lake and either drawing or writing. The young lawyer learned years later how rich the Carlyles were and how snobby they could be. They were the kind of people that Emma despised, but she still loved Phillip, as she could see that he had not inherited his parents judgemental and stuck-up attitude. He was ambitious and loving, which surprised her when he joined Phineas Taylor Barnum in developing a "freak-show" of bizarre acts from around the world. It eventually turned into a circus, a great form of entertainment, often much more interesting than moving picture shows.

Alas, the cousins had drifted apart and lost contact, mostly due to Emma meeting Peter, then the birth of Sybil, the death of her mother and father and then their voyage on the now infamous _Titanic_. The girl was now eager to get the best seats to see how far her cousin had come and hopefully reconnect with him.

Accompanying, the young couples were Holly Gregson, Peter's sister, Carl Gregson, her husband, and their young son Thomas, who was just as excited as everyone else to be going to the circus. Ruth DeWitt Bukater, Rose's mother, and heiress Margret Brown, known to everyone close to her as Molly were also part of the group. Molly had been the one insisting that the stuffy Ruth come and enjoy a night of amusement, much to the old woman's dismay. Ever since she'd become a "commoner," no longer apart of the upper crust of society, Rose's mother was becoming more open-minded and willing to participate in entertaining features of everyday life. It beat falling asleep at the opera, but even the circus seemed a bit too much for the blue-blooded woman, but she gave in and accompanied her friend and daughter to the show.

The group finally gets to the ticket booth to purchase the tickets. Emma looks upwards to the beautiful open-air circus tent down by the docks. She can just picture what it must be like for her cousin. At the end of every show, he can go and look out at the sea, reflecting the moon and stars.

The group then enters and finds good seats on the bleachers.

"Mommy, Mommy!" Thomas says in excitement. "Look!"

"Yes honey, that's the ring where the performers will be."

"What's that?" he asks, pointing at the ropes and hoops in the air, most likely for the trapeze performers.

"Those are for the trapeze people," Carl explains.

"If even the ropes get him excited," Jack mutters to Rose. "The kid will be having a field day when the actual show starts."

Rose giggles and interlocks her hand with Jack's. The two were so much in love and she couldn't wait for when they had a child of their own.

"If at any point, you feel you need to go, just tell me," Jack says with concern in his voice.

Rose gives out a rather annoyed sigh. She was approximately three months from giving birth, yet everyone was acting like she was going to pop at any moment. She hated how everyone treated her like she was made of glass, that she couldn't help out around the house or really do anything. She didn't want to feel useless and just sit there looking pretty, that was the life she was trying to escape from in the first place.

The audience began stomping their feet and a bass drum began banging, indicating the start of the show. A chorus of people begin harmonizing with repeated

 _"_ _Woah  
Woah  
Woah  
Woah  
Woah  
Woah  
Woah  
Woah  
Woah…"_

As the beat of the drum grows stronger, the excitement of the audience mounts.

Behind the bleachers, people hear.

" _Ladies and gents, this is the moment you've waited for_ …" Emma turns to see the shadowed man behind the bleachers.

" _Been searching in the dark, your sweat soaking through the floor_

 _And buried in your bones there's an ache that you can't ignore_

 _Taking your breath, stealing your mind and all that was real is left behind._ "

He begins heading around the circus tent until he begins going into the centre of the ring.

 _"_ _Don't fight it, it's coming for you, running at ya_

 _It's only this moment, don't care what comes after_

 _Your fever dream, can't you see it getting closer_

 _Just surrender 'cause you feel the feeling taking over._

 _It's fire, it's freedom, it's flooding open_

 _It's a preacher in the pulpit and you'll find devotion_

 _There's something breaking at the brick of every wall it's holding I'll let you know…"_

The man, who everyone assumes is the ringmaster comes to the centre.

" _So tell me do you wanna go?!"_

Just then the entire ring of the circus explodes into a myriad of colours and fire. Jugglers throw their props in the air, fire breathers explode the concoction out towards the audience, trapeze artists soar into the air on rings, with an explosion of confetti and fire. A woman throws knives at another woman spinning on a wheel that looks like a bulls-eye. There's a woman with very pale hair and eyes, do some fancy acrobatics. A man covered in tattoos turns for the crowd in some form of dancing.

 _"_ _Where it's covered in all the coloured lights_

 _Where the runaways are running the night_

 _Impossible comes true, it's taking over you_."

Then all the other performers in the ring join in the chorus of the song. " _Oh, this is the greatest show!_ "

 _"_ _We light it up, we won't come down."_

" _And the sun can't stop us now_ ," everyone sings together.

" _Watching it come true, it's taking over you._ "

" _Oh, this is the greatest show_." The performers sing.

A large herd of riders on horses and two large elephants come into the ring. " _Colossal we come these renegades in the ring._ " The ringmaster sings. " _(Woah) where the lost get found in the crown of the circus king. Don't fight it, it's coming for you, running at ya, it's only this moment, don't care what comes after, it's blinding outside and I think that you know. Just surrender 'cause you're calling and you wanna go…_ "

There are more explosions of fire, many of the performers dance in a circle around the ringmaster. Several trapeze artists go spinning into the air. The audience goes crazy in awe, everyone keeps cheering at the top of their lungs.

 _"_ _Where it's covered in all the coloured lights_

 _Where the runaways are running the night_

 _Impossible comes true, intoxicating you."_

A small man comes out dressed in a Napoleon costume, riding on top of a baby elephant, waving joyfully to the crowd. Thomas seems particularly excited, waving at the little man as he passes by. Sybil is a little overwhelmed by all the spectacular scenery, but she seems in awe of the visual show in front of her. Several animal trainers direct lions to jump through flaming hoops. There are now four elephants performing, doing the designated poses. The audience is on their feet in excitement, applauding the entire time.

 _"_ _Oh, this is the greatest show_

 _We light it up, we won't come down_

 _And the sun can't stop us now_

 _Watching it come true, it's taking over you."_

The performers dance to the tune of the song as the ringmaster hands his top hat to an elephant.

" _Oh, this is the greatest show. It's everything you ever want, it's everything you ever need_

 _And it's here right in front of you_

 _This is where you wanna be (this is where you wanna be)_

 _It's everything you ever want_

 _It's everything you ever need_

 _And it's here right in front of you_

 _This is where you wanna be_

The hat is then passed to a pink-haired trapeze artist and then through the hoard of circus acts, including two men who seem to be joined at the chest, a very tall man in funny striped pants, a woman with white hair and eyes, a few jugglers, until it's handed to a bearded lady in a beautiful dress, who takes the hat handing back to the ringmaster. All jaws drop with her powerful voice.

" _This is where you wanna be_!"

" _When it's covered in all the coloured lights._

 _Where the runaways are running the night_

 _Impossible comes true, it's taking over you_

 _Oh, this is the greatest show_

 _We light it up, we won't come down_

 _And the sun can't stop us now_

 _Watching it come true, it's taking over you_ "

Just then another figure comes out from behind the bleachers and Emma's jaw drops in shock.

" _This is the greatest show_!"

She lets out a scream of joy realizing it's Phillip and she jumps to her feet. She feels tears come to her eyes as she can barely contain herself. He's dressed in a red suit with a top hat and cane, indicating that he was also the ringmaster.

" _When it's covered in all the coloured lights…_ " the performers sing.

A young trapeze artist with pink hair lands down next to him and gets very close to him. If anyone can tell, the two appear to be in love. " _Where the runaways are running the night. Impossible comes true, it's taking over you._

 _Oh, this is the greatest show,_

 _We light it up, we won't come down and the walls can't stop us now!_

 _I'm watching it come true, it's taking over you_

" _Oh, this is the greatest show!"_

Phillip and the pink-haired girl sing together.

" _'Cause everything you want is right in front of you_

 _And you see the impossible is coming true_

 _And the walls can't stop us (now) now, yeah_

 _This is the greatest show (oh!)_

 _This is the greatest show (Oh!)_

 _This is the greatest show (oh!)_

 _This is the greatest show (oh!)_

 _This is the greatest show (Oh!)_

 _This is the greatest show (oh!)_

 _(This is the greatest show)_

 _This is the greatest show (oh!)_

 _This is the greatest show!"_

Once the song ends, the entire room bursts into applause, everyone is on their feet in a flurry of ecstasy and euphoria. Even Rose, despite how much her feet hurt with the pregnancy, is up applauding the show. Emma is cheering the loudest for her cousin, tears in her eyes. She couldn't believe how much Phillip Carlyle had grown… how much they both had changed. Little Thomas is beside himself with excitement. Sybil is a little overwhelmed by all the noise, but she smiles as Emma bounces her up in down. Even Ruth is applauding the group with much approval and excitement.

What they had all seen was truly the greatest show on earth.


	2. Chapter 2: Two Worlds, One Family

Chapter 2: Two Worlds, One Family

"Sorry Ma'me but you're not allowed back here," a large guard at the back end of the tent says sternly.

After the show, Emma and the rest of the group are trying to get backstage, so the cousins could reunite after years of being separated.

"But I know Phillip Carlyle the Ringmaster, he's my cousin," the young lawyer explains.

The man looks at her, obviously not believing a word of her statement. "Sure, he is, and I'm a three-toed orangutan with fur and a hairy moustache.

"But it's the truth," she insists. "I've known him since he was five-years-old."

As Emma continues trying to build her case, Barnum gathers all his performers together.

"Amazing as always everyone," he says beaming at his circus family. "We really blew them away tonight."

Everyone gives themselves a round of applause before going to change out of their costumes and makeup and get ready for a well-deserved rest or drink. The ringmaster tucks his top hat under his arm and goes towards his dressing room, where he'll change before he goes home to meet Charity and the girls, who would be home after another long night of his daughters being at ballet practice. He had to remember to book off the Tuesday next month for Helen and Caroline's recital. He loosens the buttons around his collar as his mind wandered back to the piece of paper in his dressing room. A telegram from an agent in the United Kingdom who wanted the "Barnum Freakshow" to come on a European tour. It sounded like an amazing idea, great opportunity for everyone to display their talents to new audiences and get the circus international recognition, but Barnum had to keep telling himself that it wasn't about the money. He had yet to tell Carlyle about the opportunity and he knew that Charity wouldn't want to leave home to go abroad again.

As he passes the entrance to the backstage area, he hears the growing ruckus in the doorway.

"I'm telling you!"

"What's going on here?" Barnum asks, keeping his guard back and he looks at the crowd of people. None of them are familiar to him. He immediately assumes that they might be protestors or reporters, neither of which he wants to be bothered with.

"Are you P.T Barnum?" Emma asks, trying to hide her excitement.

"That's what they call me,"

Just then Phillip passes by with Anne Wheeler, his fiancée and trapeze artist and her brother W.D. Wheeler. Knowing she didn't have much time, Emma clears her voice.

"Well, as I live and breathe if it isn't my cousin who ran away with the circus," Emma calls out.

Phillip turns towards the familiar voice. He turns from talking with W.D. and Anne, his blue eyes lighting up in recognition when he sees the familiar face. Emma ducks under the guard and hurries over, embracing her cousin tightly, she begins laughing uncontrollably and tears fill her eyes. Phillip Carlyle's reaction to seeing his beloved cousin is equally happy, laughing and actually lifting her into the air for a brief moment before putting her down again. She kisses her cousin on the cheek and smiles as wide as she can.

"Oh my god Emma! How... How have you been?" Phillip asks in disbelief.

"Me? What about you? Mr. Ringmaster…"

"Did you see the show?"

"See it, Phillip, we lived it, it was amazing!"

"We?" Phillip asks.

"Oh right, Peter?"

The guard is reluctant to let the rest of them backstage. Barnum, seeing that Phillip knew this group, taps the guard on the shoulder. "Let them through, this is a family reunion of some kind."

With a grimace, the guard allows everyone passage backstage. Phillip is surprised by the sheer number of people with his cousin.

"Phillip, this is my husband Peter Whitman, Peter this is my cousin, Phillip Carlyle," Emma says introducing the two men.

Both men reach over and exchange a friendly handshake.

"Nice to meet you," Peter says.

"Likewise," Phillip says.

"These are my friends Rose and Jack Dawson," Emma continues. "And Peter's sister Holly, her husband Carl and their son Thomas."

The young four-year-old waves eagerly. It took all of his parents' strength to keep the child from running off to get a closer look at the circus tent.

Phillip smiles warmly at the pregnant redhead and shakes the blonde-haired man's hand. He shakes Carl and Holly's hand as well.

"And Molly Brown and Rose's mother, Ruth DeWittBukater."

"A pleasure," Phillip says, shaking the women's hands.

The cousin's eyes then wander up to the child sitting on Peter's shoulders. "Is that your daughter?"

"Her, no, this is Sybil, your other cousin," Emma says, taking her little sister down from her husband's shoulders.

The ringmaster blinks in surprise. "You have a sister?"

"For almost a year and a half now," the young lawyer then turns to her sister. "Now Sybil, this is your cousin Phillip. Say hello."

"Ph…Ph…" Sybil babbles, trying to form new words every single day. The toddler then waves at her new relative with eagerness and childish joy.

"She already likes you. Would you like to hold her Phillip?" the older sister asks.

The young man swallows hard and his stomach turns. He's never held a young baby in his life. Sure, he'd interacted with Barnum's young daughters, but a child, barely out of babyhood was something completely different. He looks at the bright blue eyes and the golden locks of the toddler in his beloved cousin's arms and his heart immediately melts into a puddle. He's curious about meeting the cousin he never knew he had. With some hesitation, he holds his arms out to receive her.

"Sure," he answers.

Emma comes then hands the young one over to him. He struggles at first, but then Emma shows him how to hold Sybil comfortably. Once the toddler is in his arms, their blue eyes meet each other. Almost immediately, the young girl begins to gurgle and smile at him. She grabs at the gold buttons of his circus outfit and lets out a high-pitched laugh.

At that moment, Phillip loved Sybil Carson. She was a charmer, she immediately had him wrapped around her little finger as Phillip takes his top hat off and puts it on the girl's head, which falls over her eyes. This makes Sybil screech with laughter as she grabs at the costume piece. Phillip lifts the hat up so he can see her beautiful blue eyes, very vivid like his own; he then bops the girl on the nose, making her laugh even louder than before. The older cousin and sister have no choice but to join in the happy exchange.

Everyone around them smiles widely, some of the performers turn to the contagious sounds of a happy child. Even Barnum turns and laughs amusingly at Carlyle playing with the little girl. Anne Wheeler also steps closer, the image of her fiancé with a child was a surprising moment, but a joyful one.

"Ph… Ph…" she says over and over. Sybil begins drooling a little bit.

"You like that Sybbie, don't you?" Emma coos.

"She's beautiful," Phillip says, trying to fight back happy tears. "She looks just like your mother."

"Says everyone, but she's got a personality that's all her own. She now owns you, Phillip. Everyone she meets become slaves to her charms."

"She definitely has a knack for show business," Barnum says, coming up to the group. The ringmaster turns. "P.T Barnum, at your service."

"Emma Carson-Whitman, this is my husband Peter, my sister, Sybil, my best friends Jack and Rose Dawson," she says remembering her friends who have just been watching the interaction the entire time. "And my sister and brother-in-law, Holly and Carl Gregson and their son, Thomas. And this is Ruth DeWitt Bukater and Margret Brown, but we call her Molly for short."

"It's a pleasure," Barnum says. He shakes Peter and Jack's hands and then kisses Rose's, Holly's, Ruth's, and Molly's hands.

"You're quite the charmer yourself sonny boy," Molly says with a smile.

"It's what any showman must be," he says returning a smug grin. He then turns to Phillip and casually takes Sybil into his arms, Emma not objecting in the least. "She reminds of my daughters when they were this little."

"I didn't know you had children," Emma says in surprise.

"Two beautiful daughters, Helen and Caroline, both courtesy of my beautiful wife, Charity."

"She's a lucky woman," Ruth says politely.

Barnum pulls out his pocket watch and dangles it in front of Sybil, which the toddler grabs at gleefully.

"It was an amazing show by the way," Rose says. "I've never seen something quite like that."

"Thank you," Barnum says. "That's our goal. Our family works the hardest out of anyone to give the audience what they want."

"Nothing's more special than family," Rose smiles, running a hand over her own baby bump.

Sybil keeps everyone's attention for awhile, then Emma turns back to her cousin.

"I'm so sorry I didn't write to you to tell you about Sybil. With you moving around so much, I knew that it would be impossible."

"It's fine," Phillip says. "I missed seeing you."

"Me too, I wanted to know what you'd been doing. The last I heard from Uncle Daniel and Aunt Gwendolyn that you'd gotten involved in the works of a scoundrel."

"A showman," Barnum corrects. "A showman."

"Sorry, a showman. Anyways, I wanted to come and see your show, but Sybil was born and then… my parents passed on."

"What?" Phillip gasps. "Uncle Andrew and Aunt Bernadette are dead?"

Emma is equally shocked that he didn't know. The thoughts of her parents come back and she can feel heaviness forming in her body. The sadness had not left her, and probably never will. "Yes, for almost a year now. I assumed the only reason that you didn't come to the funerals was that you were overseas. Did your parents not tell you?"

Phillip shook his head and swallows hard. "I haven't spoken to them in years."

The female cousin's face falls into an expression of confusion and sadness. Yes, it was true that she hadn't heard from Phillip in a few years, but she just assumed that was because he was constantly on the road and didn't have time to stay in contact.

"What? Why? God, Duncan must be heartbroken."

"Who's Duncan?" Anne asks, coming up next to her fiancé. At first, the trapeze artist had been reluctant to approach any of Phillip's family, knowing how his parents had treated her several years ago. It was because of her race, her class, and her chosen career that they had rejected her. Despite this, the two fell in love anyways and were now engaged to be married, which made her so happy. She had assumed that any of Phillip's other relatives would reject her too because of their higher social class. However, with the way that Emma had lovingly greeted her cousin and the appearance of the group in general, except for the two elderly ladies at the back of the group, the people seemed to be from a humbler middle-class background.

Phillip swallows and turns to introduce Anne.

"Uh, Emma, this is Anne Wheeler, my fiancée,"

"Oh, my gosh, Phillip why didn't you tell us you were engaged?! Congratulations!"

Emma wants to hug the new member of the family but decided to give her some personal space offers her hand to the pink-haired performer with the widest and most welcoming smile anyone could muster. Anne feels the warmth and smiles back, returning the handshake. The cousin then looks at the simple glistening stone on the performer's finger.

"It's beautiful, like you." she squeals. "Hello, Anne, I'm Emma Carson-Whitman, this is my husband Peter Whitman, my friends, Jack and Rose, and this is Sybil, my sister."

Peter shakes Anne's hand and Emma takes her sister back from Mr. Barnum up to greet the newest member of their family. Sybil becomes in entranced by Anne's sparkling unitard and her pink hair. Almost immediately, the younger one begins to smile and reach over eagerly.

"Looks like she wants to meet you," Emma says. "Would you like to hold her?

Anne swallows and reluctantly accepts the toddler into her arms. She's never held a baby before, she was actually fearful, which was ironic because she braved death-defying heights every single day.

Sybil looks at Anne with bright blue eyes, obviously taking in the trapeze artist's unusual attire. The toddler then reaches up and pulls at Anne's hair. Emma immediately comes to her rescue.

"No, no, Sybbie," Emma says sternly, wrestling the pink lock of hair from her sister's grasp. "I'm sorry Anne, she's going through a hair pulling phase."

"That's okay," Anne says.

With the hair out of her grasp, Sybil becomes entranced by Anne's sparkly outfit. She begins grabbing at the purple material in curiosity. The artist is amazed and feels comfortable handling this child, she smiles at the little life in her arms.

More of the performers from the show come closer to the alleged family reunion. At first, the visiting group is a little uncomfortable by the diverse array of circus acts, a lot of them seemed much different up close. While it was slightly off-putting, no one wanted to be rude. Everyone was different and special in their own way, they themselves were living proof of that.

The little man who was dressed as Napoleon stands next to Barnum. Emma smiles warmly at him and leans down to shake his hand.

"Emma Carson-Whitman," she says. "I'm Phillip Carlyle's cousin."

"General Tom Thumb," he says giving a mischievous smirk. "But my real name is Charles Stratton."

"A pleasure to meet you, Charles,"

Peter then shakes the smaller performer's hand.

"This is the rest of our family," Barnum says. The performers begin shaking hands with the group of people. Suddenly, the ringmaster notices someone missing.

"Where's Lettie?"

"Right here," the bearded-singer says, coming up to join the party. She is holding the hand of a small, blonde child. The Carson/Whitman/Gregson family gasp, realizing the small child is Thomas. Somehow, he managed to sneak away from his parents to see everything. "I just found this little guy trying to feed the elephants."

"THOMAS ARTHUR GREGSON!" Holly shrieks in anger and embarrassment that her son had snuck away from her. She grabs her son's arm roughly. She immediately begins scolding him.

"Thank you so much for finding him," Carl says, shaking the bearded lady's hand.

"It's no trouble, I'm just glad he wasn't trying to feed the lions."

Holly turns to Barnum. "I'm so sorry, I've told him many times about wandering away."

"No harm was done," the owner of the circus says, holding up his hand calmly. He knew that being backstage at a circus is too tempting for a child to just to stand and not do anything. "As long as he didn't get hurt."

Barnum then leans down to the child's level. Thomas was now pouting after his mother had told him how naughty he had been. The small boy gazes into the ringmaster's eyes, becoming slightly shy and hiding behind his mother. Without hesitation, Barnum smiles and then takes his hat and places it on the child's head. It immediately plunks down over his eyes since it's still rather big for him, but this makes the mischievous boy giggle and smiles widely.

"Perfect fit," Barnum chuckles.

The ringmaster grins, part of him wishing that he had a son of his own. He loved his daughters very much, but part of him wishes that he had a boy who could carry on the family name. He saw a surrogate son in Phillip, but he was his own man, with his own affairs now. Barnum admired children for their curiosity and sense of wonder. They were some of the main people he was trying to entertain with his circus.

Thomas holds the hat up to peer at the man.

"You could be a showman one day son," the ringmaster chuckles. "If you wanted a tour of the circus, all you need to do is ask."

Holly again apologizes, and Barnum tells her again that no harm was done.

The two groups from very different worlds chat amongst each other about anything that came to mind. Peter asked Charles what it was like to meet Queen Victoria. Molly engaged in conversation with the conjoined twins Eng and Chang about current politics. Carl asks the tattooed man, Prince Constantine, how many designs he had on his back and chest. Lettie asks Rose how far along she is in her pregnancy, while Jack and Holly chat with Barnum about show business.

Emma and Phillip continue to catch up, talking about their careers, and hugging every so often, overjoyed to be able to see each other again. Anne watches from the sidelines, her mind still processing everything and still wondering if Emma and Peter would reject her. They did not seem to judge her in any way and they even entrusted Sybil to her. Despite her hesitation, the trapeze artist enjoyed the company of the bubbly toddler.

Eventually, Thomas begins to yawn, and he can barely stand up any longer. Carl scoops his son into his arms, where he soon falls asleep on his father's shoulder. Sybil follows suit almost immediately, curling up in Anne Wheeler's arms. Emma goes over to take the sleeping load from the performer.

"I guess it's time to head home," Emma says. "Thank you for carrying her. She always likes to welcome new people into the family."

Anne smiles, feeling much acceptance and comfort getting to meet some more of Phillip's family.

"It's nice to meet," Anne says.

"You too, welcome to the family," Emma smiles. She leans in and hugs Anne, which is not something the artist was expecting. "When you set a wedding date, be sure to put this little one in as your flower girl."

The performer continues to smile, looking down at the ring on her finger and then back at her soon to be relative. She goes over and lays her head on Phillip's shoulder. He promptly kisses the top of her head. He then embraces his cousin, so happy to see her again.

"We'll come and visit more often now that we know you're here," Emma says. "And you and Anne will have to come for dinner sometime."

"Definitely," he agrees.

"Don't ever be strangers," Barnum says to the group. "Come by anytime. Maybe we can give Thomas a proper tour next time."

Holly smiles and shakes hands with the ringmaster.

The circus performers say goodbye to the group before they exit the tent. Everyone felt good like they weren't being judged by anyone. They were being treated like anyone else you'd meet on the street, even though they were extraordinary in every way. They all then break away, going to gather their belongings and go home to rest for tomorrow night's show.

Phillip and Anne decide to take a small walk down by the docks before W.D. came to collect his sister.

Trapeze artist lays her head on his shoulder, feeling so overwhelmed and so in love. The two watch the stars and surrounding lights of the city reflect in the sea, it created a truly romantic picture.

She sighs heavily.

"What's wrong?" Phillip asks.

"Nothing, I just didn't expect your family to be so… open. They seem to be very good people."

"They are much better than my parents. In fact, Emma's parents used to raise me in the summertime, while my parents travelled because they just wanted to be rid of me." He grumbles angrily. He wanted so badly to forget about his parents, after how rude they were to Anne, but the mention of someone important had taken away some of his long-held anger towards them. "Emma and I pretty much grew up together, she and her parents were the family I wanted and deserved. I don't miss my parents, not at all and they probably don't miss me."

"But what about Duncan…?" she asks. The name kept rolling around in her mind, ever since Emma had brought up the name. He sounded important, someone close to both cousins, but she wasn't sure who it was. "Would he miss you? Who is Duncan?"

Phillip swallows a large lump in his throat, knowing he had to be honest with Anne.

"Duncan is my younger brother…"

 _A/N: Extending the Phillips family._


	3. Chapter 3: Two Brothers

Chapter 3: Two Brothers

Anne looks at Phillip in great surprise. "You have a brother?"

Phillip swallows hard and looks out at the horizon for a little while before answering. It was painful for him to think about, or even talk about really. After his parents had been so rude and disapproving towards his relationship with Anne, he had cut all ties, putting them in their place, but unfortunately, it came at a cost. Unbeknownst to many people, Phillip Carlyle had a brother, Duncan Carlyle. A brother who looked up to him and always had his back. The ringmaster's mind flashes back, memories of time with his brother filling his head. He remembered when Duncan was brought home from the hospital, bright curious eyes looking up at his big brother from the blanket that swaddled him. Phillip remembered smiling widely and asking to hold the new addition to the family. The former playwright recalls the times he and Duncan played together in the nursery under the supervision of a nanny. He remembers teaching his brother about the alphabet, how to write, and held his hand when they went off to boarding school together. He remembers the happy summers they both spent at their cousin's home, allowed to be children and have fun under the baking sun. They'd all swim until their fingers and toes were wrinkled and play in the sun until their faces were peeling from the sun.

Phillip remembers how hard it was to have to say goodbye to his brother when he went off to finishing school. Both brothers wrote to each other as much as they could. Waves of guilt filled his stomach because he got so distracted by the circus business and falling in love with Anne that he stopped writing letters. And then after the meeting with his parents, he hadn't seen Duncan since.

"Yes… I have a brother. His name is Duncan and he's probably thirteen or fourteen now…"

"Why didn't you say anything?"

"Because I hated the way my parents treated you, I felt so determined to fight for respect for you from the snobs I have to call my parents and do what my heart wanted… but I forgot about what I was leaving behind."

Phillip sits down on the wooden dock, letting his feet dangle over the side, just above the water. He lets the tears fall down his face. At the time, he was only thinking about Anne and how much he wanted to be with her. It was worth it, she had captured his heart and he was going to fight for her. He risked his life by running into a burning building for her, but it came at a cost of losing his only brother.

Anne sits down next to him. She reaches over and takes his hand. She leans her head against his shoulder. She could feel the sadness and the weight of guilt in his body. The trapeze artist couldn't imagine life without her brother, she loved him so much and he was very protective of her, as all brothers were. To be separated from him because of a conflict in the family, it must be so painful. She wants so badly to say something about him maybe contacting his brother again, maybe they could meet… but the feeling of dread filled her stomach. She remembered how embarrassed she was the night she met the Carlyles, how much they looked down on her for who she was. She was afraid that Duncan would be just like that too.

She sucks in a breath and asks, "What's Duncan like?"

"He's the sweetest kid you'll ever meet. He can give Sybil and run for her money. He can charm almost anyone in a room. You walk in and you're just drawn to him. He's kind, polite, mature, and so smart. He has a way with words. He's great at writing poems and he wanted to be a writer like me or a newspaper reporter for _The New York Times_. He wants to be just like Charles Dickens or even Shakespeare…"

"Sound like he's ambitious," Anne says quietly.

Phillip nods. "He shoots for the stars that's for sure."

There's a pause between the engaged couple.

"Do you miss him?" she asks.

Phillip swallows and answers honestly. "I do… I really do."

"Do you think that he would want to see you…" she gazes into his blue eyes. "Do you think he would accept what you do now? Would he accept me? Accept us?"

Phillip looks at his fiancée, he can see the worry in her eyes. The night at the theatre is still fresh as the day it happened. Anne attempted to rebuff him because she felt that their worlds were too different, but he persisted, following his heart. He knew his brother was not like his parents, as far as he knew. Duncan had a more liberal way of thinking and much more open-minded. He often stated that he needed to keep his mind wide open because that is what a writer needs to be inspired. Would he accept Anne as his soon-to-be wife? Did his brother hate him when he stopped writing? Were his parents villainizing him to keep his little brother from contacting him?

The questions flew about in his mind like a rising storm. He wanted Anne to get to know his family. Emma and Sybil were a good start, but he knew that not everyone is as free-thinking as his beloved cousin. He just wants to know.

"I think he would," he finally answers. "He's not like my parents, he's his own person and he wants to be apart of the changing world."

While neither Anne nor Phillip knows this for sure, they hope that this was the case.

"Then I'd really like to meet him," she says smiling.

"Would you?"

"I have a brother, I know what it's like to be so close to your brother, how much it means to you. I want to meet your family…"

Phillip turns to face Anne, he gazes into her deep brown eyes, becoming lost in her beauty. She almost seemed to glow in the moonlight. He puts his hand near her chin and kisses her gently. Her soft lips pressed against his, his heart threatening to break out of his chest from the passion he felt towards her. He truly loved her and wanted to spend the rest of his life with her.

"I love you," he says quietly.

"I love you too," she whispers.

The two of them sit on the dock together, in blissful silence. The moon and stars shining their light down on them. It seemed that love had won out and they truly had rewritten the stars.


	4. Chapter 4: More Family

Chapter 4: More Family

"I can't believe we actually found your cousin," Jack says as the five of them cut through Central Park on the way home. The group had said goodbye to Holly, Carl, and a sleeping Thomas before they drove back to SoHo. Molly and Ruth took the Brown's chauffeured car back to the house, where Ruth would stay until morning and then return to her own apartment by the New York harbour. The late evening breeze rustles the nearby trees and creaks the branches as the group makes their way towards their neighbourhood, all of them are very tired from all the excitement and ready to get to bed.

"He's grown so much, the last time I saw him, he was barely thirteen, skinny and had shaggy hair," Emma says, still trying to process it herself. She can't stop smiling, how happy.

"What was he like as a kid?" Peter asks, wanting to know his wife's cousin a bit better.

"Mischievous, always willing to pull pranks on me or my mother or my father. One of the best ones he did was putting a frog in the sugar bowl. Watching it hop out of the white powder onto the table and seeing my mother drop it on the floor like it was on fire, it was like the weirdest magic trick I'd ever seen and he earned a few whips from the belt for that one," Emma chuckles as she passes Peter the sleeping toddler. She pauses for a moment as the smile fades a little bit. "But he was also sad…"

"How come?" Rose asks, leaning a bit on Jack due to her lack of energy.

"He wasn't treated very well by his parents; my aunt and uncle. I knew he tried to hide it behind his practical jokes and smiles, but I could tell even then. He didn't get the love and attention I did. In fact, I think he never wanted to leave our home because he was treated like an actual member of the family and we loved him unconditionally. From what I've heard, in the Carlyle family, you have to earn love and respect."

"That's horrible," Rose says.

Emma nods. "And clearly Phillip still thinks of them this way, if he hasn't talked to them in years."

"They're that bad huh?" Jack asks.

"Oh yes. Basically, picture Cal and the old Ruth, but with the sticks even further up their asses and not homicidally motivated," the young Carson woman explains.

The group snickers at her metaphor but all of them understood just how snobby the Carlyle family truly was. Rose could understand completely of how high-class society neglected their children, forcing them to be seen, but not heard. While her own father always had time for his little girl, Rose never saw her parents as often as she would have liked to. Love was not a concept in the upper-crust society; her being forced into an arranged marriage with Cal being the prime example. The redhead is so glad that she's left that world behind her and even her mother had adapted to a simpler and happier lifestyle. Additionally, she was never going to treat the child in her womb with anything less than the best love and devotion a parent could give.

"So how are the Carlyles related to you?" Peter asks.

The group walk up the stairs of the home they shared, just until Jack saved up a bit more money to buy a home in the neighbourhood, preferably the one next to Carson's home.

"My Aunt Gwendolyn is my father's eldest sister," Emma explains as she takes a sleeping Sybil from her husband's arms to get her upstairs. The rest of the family is not too far behind, ready to call it a night. "She was out of the house and married before my father even turned ten."

"How come you've never mentioned them before if you were so close to Phillip?" Peter asks as he follows Emma to Sybil's nursery. He can't help but feel a little bit hurt that his wife had never shared more about her family with him. Then again; their romance and engagement were derailed due to the death of Emma's mother and father, and then the _Titanic_ tragedy and all the chaos that ensued after that, it left little time to arrange a family reunion.

The sister lays the sleeping baby down and removes her little dress, shoes, and stockings. The tiny toddler rolls around sleepily, not pleased with being moved during her slumber. Her fists raise upwards and Emma sees something shiny in Sybbie's hand. She manages to pry it from the toddler's tiny fingers. She realizes that it's a gold button from Phillip's ringmaster costume.

"She just couldn't let go of him, could she?" Emma smirks, holding the button between her fingers before giving it to Peter to hold. The elder sister then begins changing a diaper and dressing the little one for bed. As she does, she gets back to Peter's question.

"To be honest… I think they cut us out of their lives. Since we're a middle-class family obviously lived by our own liberal and open-minded values and Aunt Gwendolyn and Uncle Daniel are high standing members of society, the two don't mix. So once they left our lives, I was still pretty young, so the memories kind of fade over time."

"So, if they didn't want to associate with you, how do you still know Phillip so well?"

"Rich people logic, they would only acknowledge our presence in private and that would only be to dump Phillip and Duncan off at our place in the summer so they could go on some rich asshole's vacation in Europe every year."

"And who is Duncan?"

"Phillip's younger brother, he's almost fourteen now I think. I remember when he was just a tiny baby."

"So why did Phillip and Duncan stop coming to your home by the lake?"

"Phillip went off to finishing school and I guess since Aunt Gwendolyn and Uncle Daniel saw how much we influenced Phillip, they tried to keep Duncan from our influence as well…" Emma sighs heavily, wishing that Duncan could have gotten more attention from her parents and maybe he would turn out more like Phillip.

She scoops up her sister in her arms and cradles her close. "Honestly I wish they'd just left Phillip and Duncan with us. They never loved either of them. The only reason they had children was for someone to inherit the money. They consider their own children burdens after that, accessories meant for display and to eventually be proud of after they do something that brings success. It would be nice to have had more family around after what happened…"

She wipes a few tears from her eyes before laying Sybil in her crib. Peter comes up from behind and wraps his arms around her. She turns and fully embraces him. He rocks with her gently, rubbing her back.

"Don't get me wrong," she says, her voice slightly muffled by his shoulder. "I love the family we have now. You, Sybil, Jack, Rose, the new baby soon, Ruth, Molly, Holly, Carl, Thomas, Wendy, Tommy, Mr. Calvert… We're such a mismatched group of people and yet we're so close. It's just hard to lose someone you've known for so long…"

"Well, you've found him again and we can add Anne and W.D. to the family now too," Peter murmurs.

"I'm so happy for them," Emma smiles as the two rock back and forth next to Sybil's crib.

Once they break from their embrace, Peter hands the golden button back to his wife.

"Here, make an excuse to go see him. Tell him you'll sew it back on yourself."

Emma smiles and kisses Peter with all her might.

Eventually, they turn off the lights and go towards their own room, Jack and Rose have already turned in for the night.

The couple climb into bed and Peter wraps his arm around Emma tightly. "We have an amazing family now," he says. "And something tells me it's going to get even bigger. One big circus of a family."

Emma smiles as she closes her eyes, falling into a happy sleep.

…

The next day Emma goes into the attic, looking for something important. Most of the things in the attic of the house were belongings and keepsakes from the place in Canada before her father moved his business to New York. The eldest Carson daughter had yet to really look through the mess of objects considering it was still painful to think about her past life with her parents no longer alive. Amongst the piles of dusty boxes and jackets of important files, she finds a large old hat box wrapped lovingly in a purple ribbon.

On the lid it reads:

 _Emma, Phillip, and Duncan_

She removes the ribbon, trying to fight back the tears. Inside are pieces of her past… their past.

There's a mason jar filled with sand and shells collected from the beach. An old sailor's hat that her father had Phillip wear every single time they went out in the boat; he was the second mate, considering she was the first. An old pocket watch that Phillip had found at an antique shop, bought with his own money and then tried to fix. One of her hair ribbons that her mother would lovingly wind into her hair. A small bouquet of dried flowers that could not be touched otherwise they would crumble from age. The broken sugar bowl that her cousin had tried to fix to allow his aunt to forgive him. One of Duncan's old toy rattles was in there as well as a wooden car that Phillip had handed down to his brother. There is one of her old ballet slippers, her sunhat, and a teddy bear wearing a top hat, something that belonged to both the Carlyle brothers. There were also stacks of papers in there, filled with her drawings, and Phillip's writings that included poems and short stories. She reaches in and reads one of them. Most probably don't make sense any longer and the paper has yellowed with age, but the markings are still visible. Tucked on the side of the box is a black and white photograph. One of her, Phillip, and Duncan sitting on the beach. It is slightly blurry considering it was difficult to have young children stand still for so long.

Emma lets the tears fall from her eyes as she gazes at the picture, unable to believe how much time has passed and how much has changed. Gone were the happy carefree days of walking along the shore and chasing each other through the grassy dunes. She hadn't realized until now how much she missed these cousins, whom she should consider her brothers. She loved them so much that she just wants to hug them again.

She lets out a sigh and then returns everything to the box. She leaves the attic with the objects and goes to the telephone.

"Hello?"

"Hello, Mr. Calvert?" Emma asks.

"Why hello Emma Carson, how may I help you?"

"I need you to find some people for me."

 _A/N: Sorry it took so long to update. Special thanks to the Guest for the review._


End file.
